Emily Ratajkowski Talks NCAA Brackets, UCLA & Athletes Hitting On Her

Joe Student

Emily Ratajkowski has already won the summer of 2013. The 21-year-old brunette model seductively struts, flirts and dances her way through the video for Robin Thicke’s insanely catchy pop hit “Blurred Lines” — mostly while topless. She wasn’t immediately sold on the concept.

“Just being a naked girl in a music video wasn’t very appealing,” Ratajkowski said from Los Angeles on Monday.

“But when Robin and (video director) Diane Martel shared their vision for the video, I realized they wanted me to portray a powerful women in a confident, sexy, positive way — eyes to the camera and having fun.”

Both the rated and unrated videos for the song have helped Ratajkowski gain exposure to scores of viewers on YouTube, where the clips have been seen more than 100 million times combined. While all the women in the video are intermittently naked around Thicke, T.I. and Pharrell Williams, it’s Ratajkowski’s sexy gaze that has set her apart and helped her become an “It girl.”

Last weekend, Ratajkowski appeared at ComicCon in San Diego to participate in a cross-promotional opportunity with AXE’s new Black Chill fragrance, “Kick-Ass 2” and Playboy. She talked to us on Monday about dancing naked, her first kiss and doing the UCLA Eight-Clap.

Why don’t you have a certified check mark on Twitter (@realemrata)? It is an outrage. Are you outraged? Can we start an online petition?

“I’m a little outraged. I’m told this process can take some time. I sent in everything for verification about a year ago, but I’m still waiting.”

What was the “Blurred Lines” shoot like?

“It was a lot of fun. Diane had a loud speaker and she would tell us to act or react in certain ways. It was just hours of dancing around in my underwear.”

How often are you recognized in public from the video? Has it ever gotten weird?

“It is weird. The first 10-15 times someone on the street has seen me and said ‘Emily,’ I’ve thought “I probably know this person, but don’t recognize them’ …and then they say ‘Can I have your autograph?’ or ‘Can I get a picture?’ and you realize it’s from the video. It’s a crazy, weird feeling.”

Was “Blurred Lines” sexist, because we can’t see why anyone would complain about the video?

“I think it’s important that people analyze videos and lyrics for anything they perceive as sexist, but if you look at our faces in the video, we’ve got a sarcastic attitude; we’re ignoring Robin and rolling our eyes; we’re acting silly and we’re celebrating our bodies. I was very comfortable.”

Was it more fun dancing naked in that video, or eating a burger with Sara Underwood in the Carl’s Jr. commercial?

“(Laughs) Eating a burger was more difficult. We had to take so many bites to get the shot right. The video was just dancing around naked in my underwear — something I’m very used to doing — so it was more natural for me.”

You appeared at ComicCon for AXE Black Chill on Friday. Have you ever dated someone — or not dated them — because they smelled a certain way?

“Pheromones do play a role in the way you’re attracted to someone. I’ve certainly loved the way certain guys I’ve dated smelled. However, if a guy is confident, you can forgive him for not smelling a certain way. I know that the first guy I ever kissed wore AXE.”

Which comic book hero did you want to be when you were younger?

“I was a big fan of Batman — the Tim Burton version — and I always thought Catwoman was the coolest and most interesting character. Maybe some sort of combination of her and Wonder Woman.”

Athletes — all men, really — gravitate to models. You don’t have to name names, but have any athletes or celebrities made an ass out of themselves while hitting on you?

“I don’t know if I can go into it without it seeming mean or someone recognizing themselves. It’s cute and endearing to have guys hit on you, but it’s not sexy.”

You are well traveled, but you call San Diego home. Are you a Chargers or Padres fan? Are you a sports fan?

“Yeah, I am. I was never huge into football. I used to fill out NCAA brackets with my dad; I really got into it. I like basketball. I get a lot of flak for living in Los Angeles and not being a total Lakers fan. I’ve been at games at Petco Park, too, which is an amazing venue. They’re fun.”

You briefly attended UCLA. You were a fine arts major, but it’s a sports-crazy campus. Did you root for any of the teams? Can you Eight-Clap?

“I’m a Bruins fan. …My mother taught at UCLA, so I knew the Eight-Clap before I went there.”

You segued from Nickelodeon to sexy music videos. What’s next for you?“What’s been so cool about the video is that it’s been able to bring together my modeling and my acting and tie those things together. I’ve taken some very exciting acting meetings, but nothing is finalized yet, so I can’t give details. People are still reacting to my appearance in this video in ways I never imagined they would. It’s been exciting.”